Lewis Hamilton was delighted to retain the lead in the drivers' championship after the European Grand Prix.
McLaren star retains championship lead despite penalty
He may not have achieved his maiden hat-trick but Lewis Hamilton was nonetheless delighted to retain the lead in the drivers' championship after the European Grand Prix.
The McLaren star finished second behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in Valencia on Sunday, despite incurring a drive-through penalty for overtaking the safety car.
Hamilton therefore picked up 18 points to stay top of the standings with 127 points, six ahead of his team-mate Jenson Button, who crossed the line in third place.
"I think it is just very, very positive to be leading the world championships," said Hamilton, who won the last two races in Turkey and Canada.
"Both myself and Jenson, we have been working so hard all year and the results show the effort that everyone is putting in.
"It's great getting the results we deserve. Hopefully we can close the gap on Red Bull and hopefully really challenge them."
Regarding his penalty, Hamilton said he believed he had crossed the safety car line beyond the pit lane exit ahead of the Mercedes saloon, which was deployed after Mark Webber's spectacular collision with Heikki Kovalainen on lap 10.
"I don't really know," Hamilton said. "As I was coming around turn one I saw the safety car line. I saw the safety car was alongside me and I thought I had passed it so I continued and that was it."
Quick repairs
Hamilton, who qualified third on the grid, also thanked his team for the quick repairs they did on his car he and Vettel touched whilst disputing the lead on the opening lap.
"I was clearly passed Mark so I didn't see where he was," he said. "I came through turn one and I was very close to Seb, and saw the gap available and went for it. I outbraked him and we went into the corner at the same pace.
"I was halfway down the inside. He gave me room but we touched and broke my front wing. I came in with the safety car and team did a great job to change the wing and tyres.
"After that the pace was much stronger, I was able to push him, but it was impossible to pass at this track when the cars are within one second, even with the F-duct."
With two Britons standing top of the drivers' championship heading into the British Grand Prix in a fortnight's time, Button admitted that "we couldn't ask for anything else".
He added: "We also head into that race with an update for the car, we didn't have anything here and we came away with a reasonably good result, it is all positive."
Button finished third despite later picking up a five-second penalty after he and eight other drivers were found guilty of speeding behind the safety car.
The defending world champion insisted, however, that he "couldn't slow down".
Helping hand
"I don't think I was surprised by the speed but starting seventh and finishing third... I was definitely helped out by the safety car," Button said.
"I had the safety car line and the safety car warning from the team when I came around the last corner of the lap, which is a full-speed corner. I went around that and slowed down after that corner.
"The problem was where I was on circuit was the end of lap so I couldn't slow down."
